Marlin Alkesman
Marlin Alkesman was a duke in Daravia during the second century, most famous for his role in the manipulations of King Quenton III. Early life Marlin was always talkative, even at a young age, and he quickly became a skilled negotiator. Although Marlin often used his talents for personal benefit, his father Peter encouraged it, seeing Marlin as having the potential to become a very powerful statesman. Although Marlin is said to have sought the Daravian throne, his friends report that Marlin did not particularly desire personal power, but rather hoped to be a powerful advisor, having access to the wealth of royalty without its inherent dangers. Duchy In 120, Peter Alkesman fell from a horse and suffered a head injury that would later kill him. Marlin was quick to proclaim himself regent for the duration of his father's convalescence, and began to amass his influence by using favors to indebt local rulers to him. By the time his father died and Marlin assumed the duchy of Danque in full, he had already accrued a substantial base of allies, and thus was able to build an espionage network to alert him of threats. Marlin was publicly skeptical of the ability of women to rule, but reigning Queen Geraldine dismissed his assertions as those of a brash young duke who hadn't yet learned to control his tongue. He was even more agggressive towards Laurel I, targeting her for her youthful dalliance with Garth Manymask. However, the two queens were both effective rulers compared to the following monarch, King Quenton III. Encouraged by Quenton's desire to hire skilled diplomats, Marlin went to Castleton to campaign, but was disappointed to find Quenton mostly rewarding families with previous loyalty to the Grandelburg dynasty. Meeting with some other vassals who felt spurned, Marlin and his co-conspirators decided to try to force Quenton into recognizing them. Rise and fall In 140, Marlin and Arthur Barring led a party of nobles to Grandelburg Castle to demand a greater proportion of tax funds and increased autonomy in their domains. Quenton capitulated without much struggle, and Marlin was delighted to find his income increasing noticeably. He relocated to Boargove, a keep close to the Manitac duchy (where Castleton was located), and traded away the traditional Alkesman keep of Ardak to Boargove's former owners. From his new position near Castleton, Marlin was able to petition Quenton once or twice a year with requests for gifts or for the use of royal soldiers and diplomats. Thus, he exercised effective autonomy within Danque, and was able to live affluently for years, his ambition and ego gradually increasing. In 152, Quenton took a "royal sabbatical," leaving as regent the timid Yorick Orendras. After waiting a few weeks, Marlin decided to overthrow Yorick, falsely accusing the castellan of treasonous conspiracy. Marlin was seen by other aristocrats as a champion of nobles' rights, and so they encouraged this change in leadership; thus, upon Quenton's return in 153, Marlin continued claiming power, giving himself the regency in light of Quenton's visibly declining mental health. This was too much for Quenton's son, the cynical and politically-minded Prince Steppen. In a counter-coup, Steppen seized the regency from Marlin and had him arrested for treason and usurpation. Marlin called for his former allies to defend him, but they turned their backs, fearing implication, and Marlin was beheaded within the month. Personal life Marlin married Della Emrestrun, a cousin of Quenton III's wife, in 121. Although the Emrestrun connection was happenstance (Marlin's marriage came sixteen whole years before Quenton's), Marlin took full advantage of it, and used his distant relation to the Grandelburg clan as his flimsy justification for his usurpations. Marlin groomed his eldest son, Garth, to be an able ruler, but after Marlin's execution the Alkesmans saw the duchy of Danque revoked and given instead to the Karkoss family, the new holders of Ardak. Category:Daravians Category:Alkesman Family Category:Nobles